Celtic are now on the brink of winning the Scottish Premiership after coming out 2-1 victors against Rangers yesterday afternoon.
Matt O’Riley was the star of the show for the Bhoys, opening the scoring on 35 minutes to finish off a sweeping move from the hosts to leave Jack Butland with no chance.
John Lundstram had an afternoon to forget from his perspective and put Celtic two in front after some excellent approach play from Daizen Maeda before Cyriel Dessers halved the deficit for the visitors ahead of the interval.
Entering stoppage time, former Sheffield United midfielder Lundstram was then sent off for a crunching tackle on Alistair Johnston following Willie Collum’s review of the incident on the VAR monitor.
The Canadian right-back appeared to be in considerable discomfort and was subsequently withdrawn for Anthony Ralston with 74 minutes on the clock.
Nevertheless, Johnston showed up when it mattered once again for Celtic, turning in an impressive display from a statistical standpoint.
Alistair Johnston’s performance vs Rangers in numbers
Johnston has been a key player in Celtic’s quest for the Scottish Premiership title. His performance yesterday epitomised the energy and athleticism he adds on the right-hand side of defence under Brendan Rodgers.
Per Fotmob, the 25-year-old showed heart in the heat of battle, winning seven duels and coming out on top in 100% of his challenges contested on the ground (2/2). He also made four clearances, completed six defensive actions, carried out three recoveries, and recorded a 100% aerial duel success rate (2/2).
Providing a remarkable attacking threat, Johnston created five chances for his teammates, threaded the ball into the final third on six occasions, had five touches in the opposition area, and met his intended target with 33 out of his 39 attempted passes, being dispossessed once.
Behind O’Riley, the former CF Montreal defender was one of Celtic’s top performers against Rangers. His level of talent sometimes goes under the radar with the Bhoys’ attacking players’ form at present.
Nevertheless, he deserves vast credit for his performance at Parkhead, even if he did have to be substituted due to a knock.